Utuado

Utuado is a historic mountain town and municipality of Puerto Rico located along the island's mountainous Cordillera Central region. Utuado, originally known as Otoao, is most famous for its indigenous heritage, its colonial downtown, its coffee industry and its natural landmarks.

Understand

Utuado is one of the municipalities in "La Montaña", the mountain. Its pueblo with the municipal buildings, a Roman Catholic church, and a main recreational plaza is a must-see.

Get in

• San Juan: Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, take PR-22 W for about an hour and 10 minutes. The route has tolls. Take PR-10 South to Utuado.
• Aguadilla: Rafael Hernández Airport, Take PR-2 E. The route has tolls. Take PR-10 South to Utuado. This route tkes about an hour and 36 minutes.
• Ponce: Mercedita Airport, take PR-10 North for about 50 minutes.

Get around

A word of caution: if driving you are sharing the road with trucks, and locals. The mountain roads have steep descents and ascents, hairpin turns, and steep cliff drops are not always protected by railing. The roads may look like one-lane highways but are made to handle two-lane traffic.

See

• 1 Utuado Pueblo (downtown Utuado). See the historic Roman Catholic church, Spanish-style recreational plaza, and the municipal buildings surrounded by streets and shops.
  You can drive around the pueblo or park your car and walk around the square and into the plaza. The Spanish law, which regulated life in Puerto Rico in the early 19th century, stated the plaza's purpose was for celebrations and festivities. (updated Apr 2022)
• 2 Caguana Ceremonial Ball Courts Site (Caguana Site), Highway 111, Km 12.3, Barrio Caguana. At an elevation of 1,302 feet (397 m), it is one of the most important Pre-Columbian sites in the West Indies where stones delineate a Taíno ball court. Taíno were the pre-Columbian people of Puerto Rico. (updated Apr 2022)

Do

• 1 Patron Saint Festival, Plaza de recreo in the pueblo. The festival is religious, with a mass in honor of Archangel Michael. The cultural celebration features games, amusement rides, regional food, and live entertainment. At one time the festival lasted about a week, but it has since been scaled down to 4 days. It is held every year in the plaza in the pueblo in late September / early October. (updated Apr 2022)
• 2 Tanamá River, near PR-111 in Caguana barrio. You can reach the Tanamá River which is near PR-111 in Caguana barrio. The river goes through Arecibo, Utuado and Adjuntas. Scheduling a tour with a local guide is possible. (updated Apr 2022)
• 3 Río Viví (Viví River). The river is about 11 miles long and goes through Utuado and Adjuntas. (updated Apr 2022)

Sleep

• 1 Finca Vista Bella, Carr 613, km 8.9, ☏ +1-787-390-2178, fincavistabella@yahoo.com. Vineyard tours. Rooms for rent. Only available via reservations. (updated Sep 2023)

Go next

• Adjuntas
• Arecibo
• Ciales
• Hatillo
• Jayuya
• Lares
• Ponce